IN THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA AT BENGALURU DATED THIS THE 11^th DAY OF MARCH 2026 BEFORE THE HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE H. T. NARENDRA PRASAD WRIT PETITION NO. 34531 OF 2025(S-RES)

BETWEEN:

1. B LATHA AGED ABOUT 50 YEARS W/O RAMEGOWDA B N

2. PADMA T AGED ABOUT 48 YEARS W/O NAGARAJA H M

3. RAGHAVENDRA B S AGED ABOUT 50 YEARS S/O B M SHANKAR

4. SHYAMALA N AGED ABOUT 51 YEARS W/O S RAMAMOHAN 5. GAYATHRI S AGED ABOUT 54 YEARS W/O S V RAMGOPAL

6. HEMALATHA R B AGED ABOUT 50 YEARS D/O LATE BASANAGOUDA

7. K R GANGADARAIAH AGED ABOUT 50 YEARS S/O LATE RAMAKRISHNAIAH

8. DHANA LAKSHMI S AGED ABOUT 51 YEARS W/O PRAKASH

9. SAVITHA DEVI T.E AGED ABOUT 52 YEARS W/O MAILARAPPA K SHAVI

10. NATARAJA S N AGED ABOUT 51 YEARS S/O LATE NAGARAJ S

11. J AROKIANATHAN AGED ABOUT 49 YEARS S/O JOSEPH

12. GIRIDHARA M AGED ABOUT 49 YEARS S/O MANJUNATHA

13. MANJUNATHA Y H AGED ABOUT 47 YEARS S/O LATE K HUCHEGOWDA

14. R SIDDARAJU AGED ABOUT 48 YEARS S/O RAMAIAH

15. FAKIRAPPA SALI AGED ABOUT 48 YEARS S/OMAHADEVAPPA SALI

16. DEVIRI AGED ABOUT 52 YEARS W/O NAGARAJ S

17. N NAGASHREE AGED ABOUT 41 YEARS W/O BHARATHKUMAR S

18. SIDDANAGOWDA N A AGED BOUT 48 YEARS S/O A NAGESHAPPA

19. N SUKANYA AGED ABOUT 49 YEARS W/O K RAMU

20. RAMESH K AGED ABOUT 48 YEARS S/O KRISHNAMURTHY

21. KARUNAKARA K S AGED ABOUT 50 YEARS S/O LATE SANJEEVA BHANDARI

22. DORESWAMY A N AGED ABOUT 49 YEARS S/O LATE NANJEGOWDA

23. SAVITHA R S AGED ABOUT 40 YEARS W/O NARENDRA BABU N

24. REVATHI M AGED ABOUT 43 YEARS W/O RAMESH K

25. SAMPOORNA J K AGED ABOUT 43 YEARS W/O GIRIS B MANGANNAVAR

26. BHARATHI S AGED ABOUT 47 YEARS W/O LATE JAYAPRAKASH 27. SATISH REDDY K V AGED ABOUT 51 YEARS S/O LATE VENKATA REDDY

28. B S NAGARAJA AGED ABOUT 44 YEARS S/O B SUBRAMANYAM

29. K SHANTHALA NAIK AGED ABOUT 52 YEARS W/O SHRIDHAR NAIK

30. THEJASHWINI S N AGED ABOUT 47 YEARS W/O N MANJUNATH

31. VANISHREE V AGED ABOUT 43 YEARS W/O DEVARAJU

32. GEETHA R C AGED ABOUT 41 YEARS W/O GIRISH K

33. YASHAVANTH G M AGED ABOUT 40 YEARS S/O LATE GOPAL RAO K

34. ROOPA S AGED ABOUT 43 YEARS W/O ASHWATH K R

35. SOWMYA RANI J AGED ABOUT 43 YEARS W/O SURESH B K

36. BINDU R AGED ABOUT 43 YEARS W/O SATISH BABU S ALL THE ABOVE PETITIONERS ARE CURRENTLY WORKING IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA AS COURT OFFICERS, AT THE PRINCIPAL BENCH BENGALURU-560001.

... PETITIONERS (BY SRI. PRITHVEESH M K, ADVOCATE FOR SRI SAMEER SHARMA, ADVOCATE)

AND THE HON’BLE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA REPRESENTED BY REGISTRAR GENERAL, HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA HIGH COURT BUILDINGS OPPOSITE VIDHANA SOUDHA AMBEDKAR VEEDHI, BENGALURU-560 001.

... RESPONDENT (BY SRI. D R RAVISHANKAR, SENIOR ADVOCATE FOR SMT. KRUTIKA RAGHAVAN, ADVOCATE )

THIS WRIT PETITION IS FILED UNDER ARTICLES 226 AND 227 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA PRAYING TO ISSUE A WRIT OF CERTIORARI OR ANY OTHER APPROPRIATE WRIT ORDER OR DIRECTION QUASHING INTIMATION BEARING NO. HCE 873/2013 (SO & CO) DATED: 25.04.2025, ISSUED BY THE RESPONDENT AS BEING ARBITRARY, ILLEGAL, AND CONTRARY TO THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATKA SERVICE (CONDITIONS OF SERVICE AND RECRUITMENT RULES 1973 (ANNEXURE-A).

THIS WRIT PETITION, HAVING BEEN HEARD AND RESERVED FOR ORDERS ON 19.02.2026, COMING ON FOR PRONOUNCEMENT, THIS DAY, THE COURT, MADE THE FOLLOWING:

CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE H.T. NARENDRA PRASAD

CAV ORDER

This writ petition is filed under Articles 226 and

227 of the Constitution of India, challenging the intimation dated 25.04.2025 vide Annexure-A issued by the Registrar General, High Court of Karnataka, to the petitioners. By the said intimation it was communicated that, as per the High Court of Karnataka (Conditions of Service and Recruitment) Rules, 1973 (for short, ‘1973 Rules’), promotion to the cadre of Assistant Registrar shall initially be made only from the feeder cadre of Section Officers until their strength in the cadre of Assistant Registrars reaches 35 posts and that, upon achieving the ratio of 2:1, i.e., 35 posts from the cadre of Section Officers and

18 posts from the cadre of Court Officers, future promotions shall be maintained in the same